Advocates for Children of New York has a singular vision: an equitable and inclusive school system where all students receive the education they need to maximize their potential as adults.
We fight for families
For more than 50 years, we have fought beside NYC families from under-resourced communities through a unique combination of services, all focused on protecting education rights and eliminating barriers to success so all students can thrive.
This September, Paige’s mom was able to send her daughter off to her first day of fourth grade confident she would be welcomed in a school placement that meets her needs – what a difference a year makes!
After Emely’s mom reached out to Advocates for Children, we helped get a thorough evaluation to determine Emely’s needs. When the DOE still did not offer Emely the help she needed, AFC filed an impartial hearing request to secure placement for Emely in a specialized school for students with learning disabilities, as well as intensive speech therapy and one-on-one tutoring in reading and writing outside of school.
"Before, Yacine put in hard work, but she wasn't making progress, and she was always struggling. But she never gave up. Now, she's getting the help she needs, and her hard work is getting positive results. Yacine always used to keep to herself. But now, she knows she can do it. She's confident now."
For the first time in 17 years, NYS leaders are reexamining the formula used to decide how much education funding, or Foundation Aid, school districts get from the State for each student. Join us in asking Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature to update the formula to give all schools the funding they need.
